


Songs Of The Heart

by tarrysmith



Series: Songs Of The Heart Universe [1]
Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-14 15:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2196651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarrysmith/pseuds/tarrysmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom has a fan boy crush on jazz singer Leigh. Can he convince her that they belong together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is amulti chapter fic I’m writing combining my passion for singing with my passion for Tom, haha!

Songs of The Heart

Chapter 1

“Yes! I got them!” Tom said to himself, snapping his laptop closed. Tickets to the Leigh Winston concert in three months! Chris and Elsa and the three little ones would be visiting then, and he had managed to snag 3 front row seats, plus VIP passes that included after-concert backstage privileges and a cocktail party meet-and-greet. He supposed he’d better start thinking about lining up a babysitter for the Hemsworth children.  
Tom guessed his admiration for the singer Leigh Winston was beginning to border on obsession. He followed her on twitter, occasionally sending her personal tweets before concerts and events, but she didn’t follow him back and had never responded to him. He `liked´ her facebook fanpage, and sometimes even thought about getting a tumblr account, but Luke, who monitored those things for him, convinced him that that would be a really bad idea.

He knew his friends and family were getting a little tired of constantly hearing about her, but he just couldn’t help it. Her music spoke to his heart, soul, and mind in a deep, visceral way. He still listened to other music, but he had all her albums on his iPod, even the early opera stuff, and she dominated all his playlists. He had listened to Mozart’s Don Giovanni too many times to count, loved her cover of Broadway ingénue songs, and appreciated the acoustic folk album. But this was to be a jazz concert, his favorite of her music, and Tom couldn’t wait. He had all her life stats memorized, and visited her Wikipedia page frequently, looking for updates. Honestly, he was such a huge Leigh Winston fan boy!

“Lookin’ good, Leigh,” Leigh’s assistant, Marnie, said. Leigh still did all her own hair and makeup, although she had finally realized that the costumes were easier if she allowed Marnie to help.

“What’s my agenda tonight?” Leigh asked the younger girl, putting the finishing touches on her costume layouts. For this concert there would only be one costume change, at the break, and Leigh gave a sigh of relief. Getting back to jazz music, her first love, had been so liberating, as she could just become one with the music, and not worry about all the other trappings and hype, but simply sing. She was quite looking forward to this one. She did love what she did!

“Is the meet-and-greet before or after the concert?” she asked now, looking up at Marnie.

“I thought you’d want it before,” Marnie said, giving her head a little tilt to the side. ”There’s backstage after, and I didn’t want it to be too a late night for you. You fly to Paris tomorrow.”

“That’s right,” Leigh murmured. She looked up, then rose to her feet to give Marnie a hug. “Thank you for taking such good care of me!”

“Well,“ Marnie blustered, blushing, “you take such good care of all of us!”

“Hey mate, calm down,” Chris Hemsworth said, putting an arm around Tom’s shoulders and giving his friend a squeeze. “It’s not even a rock concert!” Tom thought he heard his friend muttering something about “bloody fucking jazz …”

“No,” Tom agreed, “but it is Leigh Winston! And we’re going to MEET her! And l am unbelievably excited, and I can’t wait!”

“I am very much looking forward to it, Tom,” Elsa said, in her heavy accent. “She is a lovely woman, and so talented. I adore her music!”

“Well, the cocktail meet-and-greet is in three hours, so we need to get ready and go!” Tom insisted.

“OK, OK,” Chris agreed, throwing up his hands, and went to get ready.

Tom wanted to look nice, but not too formal. He decided to wear his blue suit with a white dress shirt, no tie, and his matt black dress shoes. It was a tried and true outfit, and he felt comfortable wearing it. He was clean-shaven for a change, having once read in an article that Leigh Winston thought it “classy.” Not bad, Hiddleston, he thought, putting a bit of product in his shower-damp hair, and running his fingers through it. It was a little shorter than he liked, but he was getting older, and the unruly blond curls were a thing of the past, an echo of a younger self, and he gave a little sigh of regret. Not blond, either, but that auburny-ginger color his stylist insisted upon, that apparently his fans really liked. Gracefully receding hairline… Oh well, he sighed again, it is what it is.

Leigh finished her makeup with a light dusting of powder. Heavier than she liked, because of the stage, and yet it wouldn’t look too bad at the meet-and-greet before. Smoky, dark brown eyeshadow, a touch of blush, heavy back mascara - she was blessed with extraordinarily long eyelashes, burgundy lip color. Her dress was a deep burgundy as well, satin, long, with cap sleeves, empire waist, and princess seams, just a touch of décolletage, embellished with crystals. She wore fairly low-heeled burgundy sandals.

“You look beautiful,” Marnie said quietly. “Are you ready for the party?”

“I suppose as ready as I’ll ever be!” Leigh said brightly, and made her way to the room the party was being held in.

The meet-and-greet was for 20 people, and Tom was almost beside himself at the thought of meeting Leigh, and then sitting in the front row at the concert. If he could make a good impression at this party, he might be able to make eye contact during the concert, and it would almost be like she was singing to him! He nursed his Jameson, not wanting to get too intoxicated before the night had even begun. He was so nervous, he just wanted to knock it back, but he didn’t want anything muffling the feeling of finally meeting Leigh in person, and he forced himself to stick with just the one.

Chris and Elsa stood at the little table with him, sipping white wine. Elsa put her hand on Tom’s arm, and he jumped. “Soon, Thomas,” she said soothingly, “soon. Relax.” And he genuinely tried.

And then, there she was. Oh, she was breathtaking in her burgundy gown. It was modest, yet still somehow subtly sexy, and Tom realized, it wasn’t the dress, but Leigh herself, that was sexy. He’d always been drawn to strong, confident women, and Leigh exuded confidence. She worked the room clockwise, and Tom realized that where they were standing would put them last. He wanted to make sure he had enough time with her, but thought that being the last person she met before the concert might be a good thing. He bit his lip, anticipation making him giddy.

Leigh worked the room in a circular fashion, the way she always did. That way she could be sure she didn’t miss anyone who had paid quite a bit of money for the opportunity to meet her. Honestly, she wished she could meet all her fans; it was because of them that she was able to have this wonderful career and share her music with so many people. But it wasn’t practical, so she did look forward to these meet-and-greets where she could be this close to a few of them. The man at the last table… well, he was certainly handsome, but she could feel his eyes upon her the minute she entered the room. He was the first thing she saw, and their eyes met and it was riveting, his eyes a blue so intense she could see it across the room… She forced herself to keep moving, but she had to keep glancing over to where he was. His stare was so compelling, she wasn’t sure if it was disturbing, or arousing. A little of both, she guessed. She greeted her fans, taking her time, but not really lingering with any of them. She wanted to make sure she’d have plenty of time with the man at the last table.

Tom found himself holding his breath. They were next, HE was next.

“Hello, how is everyone doing this evening?” Leigh asked, her voice a smoky contralto.

“We’re good, good,” Chris said, taking her hand and shaking it vigorously. “I’m Chris Hemsworth…”

“Oh my gosh! You’re Chris Hemsworth!” Leigh gasped at the same time. “Oh my gosh, Rush was amazing! And don’t get me started on Cabin In The Woods! I’m such a fan!”

“Yes, well,” Chris said, embarrassed, “let me introduce you to my wife, Elsa,” Leigh took Elsa’s hand, murmuring ‘pleased to meet you’, “and this,” Chris said, pushing Tom forward, “is Tom Hiddleston. He’s probably your biggest fan here.”

Tom was the man who’d been staring. He was impossibly tall, and she had to crane her neck to look up at him. He licked his lips, and she felt her stomach drop. When he took her hand, she felt a jolt of electricity running through her body. “Hello,” she managed to get out, her voice practically a whisper. “I’m Leigh.”

“Tom,“ he said, in a hushed voice. He felt mesmerized, and clearly, she was feeling something too.

She took a deep breath, gathering her composure. After a moment the disorientation passed. “You seem familiar,” she said, cocking her head. “Have we met before?”

There was a piece of him that was a little miffed that she didn’t seem to recognize him, but he was too star-struck to really think about it. “No,” he said, “but have you seen the movie Thor? Or The Avengers?”

“No, I’m not really into the super-hero thing,” she said, making a little face.

“Oh,” he said, disappointed. “I thought since you were a fan of Chris’s…”

“No sorry… wait a minute,” she began, thinking hard. She stepped back and brought her hands up, cupping them so that as she looked at him, they covered his hair. After a moment, she lowered them and gave them a little shake. “William Buxton!” she said triumphantly. “I loved Cranford! I just didn’t recognize you without your curls!”

“Oh, well, bless you for liking it…” he began.

“How was it working with Dame Judy?” she gushed, interrupting him. “She’s amazing, one of my favorites!”

Tom felt his heart sink. This had started out well, but now it wasn’t going the way he’d hoped it would at all! She wasn’t a Loki fan, she loved Hemsworth, and now she was asking about an old lady, who, truth be told, was a delight, but he wanted her fixated on him, Tom! At this point, he guessed he should be grateful she’d heard of him at all, and that he’d seemed to disconcert her for a minute.

“She is lovely,” he said quietly, “but truly, I wanted to talk to you about your music. I’m your biggest fan.”

“Oh, of course,” Leigh said, embarrassed. “That’s why I’m here.”

“I find the jazz particularly speaks to me, although I have all your recordings,” Tom said enthusiastically. “I play both piano and guitar, and jazz is my default for both these days. Can you tell me what songs you’ll be singing tonight?”

“I don’t see why not, I guess,” she said. “I’ll be opening with ‘Cry Me A River,’ and I’m also doing ‘Misty,’ ‘A Tisket A Tasket,’ ‘Embraceable You,’ ‘Lullaby of Birdland,’ ‘Here’s That Rainy Day,’ ‘ Our Love Is Here To Stay,’ and lots of other songs. Thirty, I think, all together, those ones are just my favorites. I’m also going to do a little gospel set, and for that I’ll be doing ‘Wade In The Water,’ ‘Dearest Children,’ ‘My Lord, What A Morning,’ ‘Blessed Assurance,’ and a few others as well.”

“That’s fantastic,” Tom said, too quietly. She was having trouble hearing him, so she leaned in closer, and Tom felt his heart speed up. “Say, listen,” he continued, ”I’m in the front row tonight …” he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say.

“I’ll be sure to look for you,” she said, smiling, her eyes twinkling.

“Thank you,” he said breathlessly, clutching at her hand. He raised it to his lips, and when they made contact, she felt another of those electric tingles. She jerked her eyes up to his, her hazel ones looking deeply into his blue ones, and it was like magnets attracting. She gave a little gasp, and said, “I have to go now, but I promise, Tom, I’ll look for you during the concert, and I’ll see you afterwards backstage, yes?”

“Oh yes,” Tom said, nodding, and as she turned and left the room, he gave a little fist pump of victory. “Yes!” he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to nicbeast, who asked me to write more! 
> 
> (I myself actually sing all the songs Leigh sings at her concert, so if you’re curious about any of them, feel free to message me!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know if you like it, and as always, enjoy!

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 2

Leigh knew she couldn’t let thoughts of Tom distract her, so she put him out of her mind as she began her usual preparation rituals prior to going onstage. Still, she did allow herself to acknowledge that she was intrigued. She hadn’t felt that kind of instant connection with another person in a really long time, and she admitted to herself that she hoped she would have an opportunity to get to know him better.

When she heard them announce her name, she walked out onto the stage confidently. She knew what to do - she had this. She heard the band begin the opening notes of her first song, Cry Me A River, and she sunk into the persona she wanted to convey. She moved to a chair placed in the center of the stage, straddling it backwards, with her arms folded across the back. It was difficult in a dress, but the skirt was long and full, and the pose helped project the attitude she wanted for the song.

Now you say you’re lonely—

You cry the long night through—

Well you can cry me river—

At this point, she stood up abruptly, kicking the chair across the stage, continuing to sing the song. It never failed to get a rise out of an audience, and tonight was no exception. Leigh heard a collective gasp, and knew the night was going to go well. This tongue-in-cheek, revenge-driven song, was one of her favorites, but not the message she wanted to share with Tom, so she worked the audience, refusing to allow herself to look at the front row.

The second song, Do Right, wasn’t any better, so she continued to charm the crowd and avoided looking for him. It wasn’t til the third song, Embraceable You, that she allowed her eyes to drop to the front row. Oh god, there he was, front and center, a dazed and mesmerized look on his face, mouth slightly open, with his tongue between his teeth. She smiled and winked at him, then returned her focus back to the crowd.

And that was the way she continued: focusing on the house when it was a love-gone-wrong song or a novelty tune, and allowing herself to connect with Tom when it was a love song. By the time it was intermission, she was riding a natural high, and she felt that Tom was feeding her energy. Before she left the stage for the break, she gave a little bow and blew a kiss.

Marnie was waiting for her backstage with a bottle of water. Leigh opened it and drank gratefully, letting out a sigh of relief.

Marnie shut her open mouth with a snap. “What is up with you, tonight, Leigh?” Marnie asked. “You are smoking tonight!”

“You think?” Leigh asked, looking at her a little dazedly.

“Honestly, I’ve got a fire extinguisher ready to put you out should you catch fire!” Marnie said. “I’ve never seen you so hot! The crowd is eating it up! Best concert EVER!” She took a close look at Leigh. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked more excited than she usually did during a concert. “Seriously, Leigh, what’s up?“ she asked.

Leigh swallowed some more water, then looked at her friend. “Marnie, l met someone at the meet-and-greet…” she began.

“No way!” Marnie said, astonished. “Spill!”

“You’re not going to believe this, but it’s some guy who came to the concert with … Chris Hemsworth!” Leigh said, eyes sparkling mischievously.

“Yeah right, Chris Hemsworth is at this concert — wait, Chris Hemsworth is at this concert?!!” Marnie squealed.

“Yup,” Leigh said smugly. “He’s here with his wife, and some — random friend.”

“Some ‘random friend’, huh?” Marnie said skeptically. “And HE’S the guy that’s got you singing up a storm, this, ‘random friend’?”

Leigh blushed, and Marnie eyed her, trying not to laugh. “You don’t do this, Leigh,” she said finally, shaking her head. “So, who is he?”

“I don’t really know,” Leigh said honestly. “He’s an actor, I do remember seeing him in a little TV show a few years ago. Tom somebody…”

Marnie turned pale. “Leigh,” she whispered, “His name is Tom? And he’s an actor, and he’s here with Chris Hemsworth?” Leigh nodded.

“It’s not – “ The words stuck in Marnie’s throat, and she started again. “Leigh, it’s not, Tom HIDDLESTON, is it?”

Leigh looked at her friend, concerned. Marnie looked stunned. “Yes,” she said, “that’s it, Tom Hiddleston. I couldn’t remember his last name… Marnie, are you all right?”

Because Marnie looked poleaxed. “You’ve met Tom Hiddleston,“ she whispered, then she seemed to snap out of it. “God, girl, what’s he like?”

Leigh laughed. “You tell me! You seem to know him!”

Marnie looked at Leigh like she was from Mars. “Leigh, it’s Tom Hiddleston! He’s famous! Every woman in the universe wants him! He’s been voted the Sexiest Man on the Planet in several different magazines! How can you not know him?”

Leigh shrugged. “You know what I’m like,” she said “He did seem disappointed that I didn’t recognize him. Apparently, he’s one of my biggest fan boys. It was actually fairly adorable!”

“Damn, girl!” Marnie said. “But, so what is he like?”

“Oh, handsome, charming, blue eyes to die for! Legs a million miles long, and he’s so tall!”

“Yup, that’s him,” Marnie said. “And he’ll be backstage after, huh?”

“That’s what he said,” Leigh confirmed.

“Fan boy, huh?” Marnie grinned. “You gonna tap that if you get a chance? ’Cause I gotta tell you, girl, there isn’t a woman alive on this planet who wouldn’t want to!”

“I don’t know…” Leigh began.

“Damn, Leigh, you fly to Paris tomorrow, and you won’t be back here for six weeks,” Marnie said. “If you get a chance to be with him, you should take it. My advice to you.”

Leigh finished her water. “I’ll take that under consideration,” she said. “Now, I gotta change my costume for the second half.”

Leigh strapped on her low green sandals and got ready to retake the stage. She loved this costume: long, emerald green satin, with rhinestone spaghetti straps, beaded, low-cut bodice, and full, swishing skirt. Once again, the opening song was a love-gone-wrong song: Here’s That Rainy Day, again one of her favorites, but not the message she wanted to send to Tom, and she avoided looking at him. The second song, A Tisket A Tasket, was a perennial crowd pleaser, and she asked for audience participation, and the crowd loved it. She connected with him briefly over More, then went into her gospel set. She felt elated, the songs flowing from her soul, and she knew that part of it was because of Tom’s reactions, which were very obvious. She then did a rendition of Tangerine, in octaves, using the same classic arrangement as Helen O’Connell and Bob Eberle in 1942.

When she swung into You Belong To Me, she was totally unprepared for Tom’s reaction. From the look on his face, the song had a particular meaning for him, and she had to look away to keep from simply forgetting the house and singing directly to him.

As she went into her last song, Our Love Is Here To Stay, she relaxed and allowed herself to connect with him on a more intimate level. She was sure no one in the house felt neglected, but she was equally sure that Tom felt especially engaged, and she allowed herself to feel a certain satisfaction. The final notes of the song trailed away, and she bowed deeply, blew several kisses, and said “Thank you everyone! You’ve been a wonderful audience! Good night!” And with that she left the stage.

Marnie was once again waiting with a bottle of water, and Leigh chugged it gratefully. “Really, Leigh,” she said, “best concert you’ve ever given.” She smirked. “And I took a look. That IS Tom Hiddleston! The way he was looking at you…” She fanned herself. “Hoo boy!”

Leigh felt her cheeks turn pink. “Really?” she asked. “That bad?”

Marnie nodded. “Gotta be your biggest fan boy. The man is totally smitten.” She chuckled. “I wonder if you could convince him to go on tour with you. He brings out the best in you!”

Leigh went to her dressing room and quickly changed into jeans, tee shirt, and Birkenstock clogs, before going to meet the backstage tour. Technically, she didn’t have to attend these, but she had always enjoyed them, and she looked forward to them as another opportunity to interact with her fans in a more casual setting. When she arrived, Lynn, the stage manager, and Marnie were already there. Leigh went to the middle of the group, and her eyes were instantly drawn to Tom. This close to him, the impact was physical, and she stumbled a little, looking at his beaming face, huge smile, and bright twinkling blue eyes. She smiled at him, then forcing herself, turned away and addressed the group.

“Hey, everybody, how was the concert?” she asked, grinning. She heard “amazing”, “fabulous”, “awesome”, and Tom said, “Best concert I’ve ever been to!”

“Thank you all!” she said graciously. She turned to her companions. “This is my assistant Marnie, “and Marnie gave a little bow, “and this is our stage manager Lynn. She’ll be leading our tour. I want to thank you all for coming tonight, and I would like to say that 100% of the proceeds from the VIP passes you bought for tonight goes to the American Red Cross, so thanks for that, too. And now, if you will turn your attention to Lynn.”

As Lynn started to talk and they all began follow her, Tom begin to shuffle around so that he could fall in next to Leigh. He felt like he was walking on air. The concert had been amazing, better than he’d hoped, and he was pretty sure he’d been able to make a real connection with Leigh. He knew that she’d been aware of him throughout the concert, and he had real hopes that he would be able to establish a closer relationship with her. He really wanted to get to know her better, and he hoped that before he left the theater tonight, that he’d be able to convince her of that.

“I just want to say, Leigh,” he said quietly, “that this was the most amazing concert l have ever been to. Your music touched me on so many levels.”

“Well, thank you, Tom,” Leigh said, almost shyly.

As they followed the group, Tom struggled to pay attention to what Lynn was saying. He really just wanted to be alone with Leigh, and he wondered what she’d say if he invited her back to his place. He decided it might be safer to ask her out for a drink; it wasn’t that late, and he knew Chris would understand. It had been Chris, after all, who, during the break, had told Tom to make sure to try to at least get her number!

“Say, Leigh, after the tour, would you want to go get a drink with me, or something?” he got up the courage to ask.

“With Chris and his wife?” she asked, eyes wide.

He made a little face. “Well, no,” he said. “I was hoping…”

“I would love to get a drink with you, Tom, “she said, grinning, “as long as it is OK with Chris and his wife if you ditch them!”

“I think they will be glad to get away from me,” he said wryly, running a hand through his hair. “I think they’re really tired of listening to me go on and on about you!”

Leigh blushed, and Tom felt his breath catch. Every time she looked at him, he felt it in the pit of his stomach.

As the tour wound up, Tom looked at Leigh and took her hand. “Let me go talk to Chris and Elsa,” he said.

“Yes, and I have to go get my coat and purse, and say goodnight to Marnie,” she replied.

“Meet back in the lobby in 10?” he asked.

“Yes, perfect,” she said, looking into his eyes.

Chris clapped him on the back. “Go get her, mate,” he said jovially, winking. “Good thing Elsa and l are staying in a hotel!”

“Thanks, man,” Tom said, and left to find the lobby.

“You remember what l said now,” Marnie said, smirking. “You’re not getting any younger, and this is an opportunity of a lifetime!”

Leigh just nodded, blushing, and, gathering up her coat and purse, went to meet the most intriguing man she‘d ever become acquainted with.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here’s chapter 3 of Songs Of The Heart! It’s pretty long, so, sorry about that, but there just wasn’t a good place to break it. I wanted to get to the smut, but, as always, Tom talks too much! Hence, loooong chapter!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to patti1022, for all her encouragement.
> 
> Warnings: alcohol, alcoholism this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know if you like it, and as always, enjoy!

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 3

Tom was already in the lobby when Leigh got there, standing with his back to her, running a hand through his hair. When she reached out and touched his shoulder, he jumped, turning around. “Oh, you startled me!“ he said.

“Sorry,” she said, grinning, and they began walking.  
“So,” he said, embarrassed, “I have to ask this — do you have a car? Because I let Hemsworths have mine. Couldn’t leave them stranded…”

She looked up at him, amused. “Yes I do,” she said, “but it’s probably not up to your standards!” They had reached the parking lot, which was deserted save for a single vehicle: bright green, tiny, practical. “There he is!” she said happily, approaching the car on the right side and unlocking it, indicating he should get in.

“Hmmm, your car is male? And American?” he murmured. “Should I be jealous?”

She went around to her side and climbed in before replying, “Yes, male! A Chevy, as American as me! And, no, you shouldn’t be jealous, silly!” she said brightly.

His legs were too long and he had to spread his knees, but there was fortunately plenty of head room. “It’s cute,” he said, “like you!” He couldn’t tell for sure in this light, but he thought she blushed.

“So, where to?” she asked, starting the car.

“This is just so awkward!“ he said frustratedly. “I invited you, and I wanted to be all suave and charming, and now you have to do all the work!”

“Tom, it’s OK,” she said, trying not to laugh. “Just tell me where to go!”

She followed his directions and soon they were at a friendly-looking little pub. “This place is never very busy, but it’s clean and the people here are friendly. It’s one of my favorites,” Tom explained as they went inside. He had his hand at the small of her back, and Leigh felt a tingle down to her toes. They seated themselves in a small booth, and a handsome young waiter approached them.

“What can I get you tonight?” he asked, smiling flirtatiously at Leigh, and Tom scowled. Leigh ignored him, and asked the waiter, “Does your bartender know how to make a Roy Rogers?”

“Yes he does! No problem!” the young man replied, writing it down, then turning to Tom. “And you, sir?” he asked.

“Jameson,” Tom said, still frowning a little.

The young man nodded, made another note on his pad, then went to get their drinks.

Tom rested his elbow on the table and put his chin in his hand, gazing a little dreamily at Leigh. “OK, I’ll bite,” he said, “What’s in a – Roy Rogers?”

Leigh looked down at the table nervously. “Coke and grenadine,” she said softly. She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “Tom, I’m an alcoholic,“ she said.

Tom was mortified. “Oh Leigh, I’m so sorry….” He rubbed at his neck. “You should have said, we could have done something else…”

Leigh reached out and put her hand over his. “No, it’s OK,” she said softly. “In this business I’ve had to learn to deal with it. You can’t get away from it, it’s everywhere. I’ve come to peace with the fact that can’t control what others do, I can only control my own actions. I’ve been sober for 5 years. I go to at least one AA meeting every week. If it gets bad, I go to more. I take one day at a time, and so far, I’m doing OK.”

The waiter arrived with their drinks. Tom wanted to send his back, but he found he kinda needed it. For a second, that thought worried him. He looked at Leigh inquiringly. “Do you mind?” he asked, indicating his drink.

She smiled, her eyes twinkling. “It’s OK,” she said, and wrinkled her nose. “That’s not my drink of choice!”

The tension broken, they both smiled then began to chat. Tom told her about his family, then asked about hers, and other things: where she lived, how long she’d been singing – questions he already knew the answers to, but it was nice to hear it from her.

“I have one sister and one brother, both married, with two kids each. I’m from Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest originally…”

“Ooh, Oregon!” he said excitedly. “Have you been to the Goonies house?”

“Yes, I have,” she said, amused. “I take it you’re a fan?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “Go on!”

“I have an apartment here in London, as well as a house at home. I’ve been singing since I was small, and it was in my late teens and I won a competition that I knew I wanted to make it a career. I went to Julliard, and the rest, as they say, is history!” 

“How about — a boyfriend?” Tom asked, holding his breath.

“Nope, no boyfriends right now …” she trailed off, her mind in the past, then, visibly returning to the present, she continued, “My gran despairs of my ever marrying; she’s sure that I’m an old maid at 27!” 

Tom laughed “I know what you mean!” he said. Then he got serious. “In our lines of work, it just isn’t fair to try for anything beyond a casual relationship. In my own experience, it’s just led to heartbreak…”

She just looked at him for a moment. “Yes,” was all she said.

He reached out and took her hand. “Oh dear,“ he said worriedly. “This isn’t going the way l wanted it to at all…” He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and ran a hand through his hair. He looked up at her.

“Leigh, I’m to the point in my life where I’m ready to have a serious relationship, but I’ll be honest: I’m torn between how exciting my career is, and the ticking of my biological clock!” Leigh smiled, and he continued. “I don’t want to sound conceited, but… how do I put this?“ He thought a minute. “I am doing … very well for myself. I’d be lying if I said l wasn’t a little disappointed that you don’t really seem to know who l am. I had all these grand plans…”

She waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, she said “grand plans?” her eyebrows raised.

He put his face in his hand, then looked up at her, his eyes big and pleading. “I was going to dazzle you with my fame! I was going to sweep you off your feet! You were supposed to be one of my adoring fan girls, and you were going fall into my arms and be the one I keep!”

She didn’t say anything, and he continued. “Instead, I find out that you barely know who I am, that you remember me fleetingly from a telly program several years ago, that you have a thing for my best mate! And here I am, acting all fan boy on you, hoping for the slightest crumb from my idol! I’m pathetic….” He face-palmed again.

“It’s a bit of a turnaround for you, isn’t it?” she asked. “According to what Marnie says. `Sexiest Man On The Planet?´” she smirked.

His cheeks turned pink, and he gave a little laugh and looked at her, obviously embarrassed. “I never asked for that,” he said a little defensively. “And I don’t know where it came from – wait, you talked about me with Marnie?” Now he seemed smug.

And it was Leigh’s turn to be embarrassed. ”I felt – something – when I met you. It effected my singing, — in a good way!” she rushed to reassure him as he made a worried face. “But Marnie noticed and asked me about it, and I told her that I’d met you and that you were with Chris Hemsworth and that you were an actor and she put two and two together and she told me about you …”she finished in a rush, a little short of breath.

“Well, aha!” he said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. “You’re not immune to my charms!”

“I never said I was!” she said, shaking her head.

Someone had put some money in the juke box, and at that point it began playing a slow song. Tom took Leigh’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Dance with me” he murmured in her ear.

He didn’t really give her a choice, and as he wrapped his arms around her, Leigh allowed herself to sink into his embrace. He was almost a foot taller than she, and as she pressed her cheek against his chest, she could hear his heart racing. She gasped and tried to pull away, but he tightened his arms, and she gave in. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, occasionally nuzzling his nose, breathing in the vanilla scent of her shampoo. “Oh Leigh” he sighed, “I’ve dreamed of holding you this way.”

As they danced, Leigh felt herself getting caught up in him: his warmth, his scent, the feeling of his arms around her, the strong wall of his chest. When she felt his mouth against the sensitive skin behind her ear, a gush of moisture pooled between her legs, and she became aware of his arousal pressing hard against her stomach. When the song ended, he reluctantly pulled away from her, but kept her hand in his as he led her back to their table. The look of longing on his face made her stomach drop, but in an instant, his expression changed to one of regret, and he said, “I suppose we should go.”

“Yes, OK,” she agreed quietly, and Tom helped her put on her coat and she got her purse.

They got settled in the car, and Leigh followed Tom’s directions to his flat. Tom didn’t know how he was going to let her go. The dance was clearly a mistake. Holding her was not going to be something he was going to get over quickly, and for the first time that night, he was glad he wasn’t driving, because the stiff cock straining the zipper of his trousers was throbbing and painful. He wanted her bad.

They arrived at his flat and when Leigh stopped the car, neither of them moved. Tom promised himself he wouldn’t… but, “Would you like to come up?” he asked.

“Yes!” Leigh said in a no nonsense voice, in an instant, she was out of the car and slamming the door. They stood together on the curb, looking at each other. Leigh had reached a breaking point. The fire of banked coals was in her hazel eyes, and Tom sucked in a breath, grabbed her hand, and led her up to his flat.

As soon as they were inside and the door was closed, Leigh had him pressed up against the door, her mouth on his, her arms around his neck and grabbing handfuls of his hair. Tom felt her tongue and opened his mouth for her, and as she explored the inside of his mouth, he let out a moan. Her mouth left his to trail down his neck, and she bit his earlobe and he gasped. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away a little. “Leigh, Leigh,” he said breathlessly, “slow down!”

She was thrashing and frantic, trying to get back into his arms. “I can’t!” she said helplessly. “I need you!”

Her words went straight to his cock, and it twitched painfully in his trousers. “I need you, too,” he said soothingly,” but if we don’t slow down, I won’t last two minutes!”

That seemed to get to her, and she stilled. “Now, “he said,” If I take you back into my arms, can you keep yourself under control?”

“For a while,” she said darkly.

“Let me take charge,” he murmured in her ear, trying to calm her. He rained kisses along her face and neck, then pulled away. He ran a hand over her hair, then shrugged out of his suit jacket while Leigh stood solemnly watching him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. He dropped his jacket, then took off Leigh’s coat and dropped it as well. They stood looking at each other, then he took her hand and led her to his bedroom. He cupped her face in his hands, then bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers and she whimpered.

“Hey,” he said tenderly, “we’ve got all night.”

There were tears in her eyes when she said, “I’m on tour. I fly to Paris tomorrow, and then I won’t be back for 6 weeks.”

“I have a film shoot in Ireland,” he said matter-of-factly. “I leave in 3 weeks, and I’ll gone for four. So we’ll call, and text, and face time, and in seven weeks we’ll meet back here. Or maybe I’ll be able attend another of your concerts in another city. I’m willing to do what I have to in order to make this work.”

Leigh looked up at him in wonder. “Really?” she asked hopefully.

“Really,” he said. “I told you I was ready, and now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting you go that easily.” He pulled her back into his arms. “And now, we have tonight!”

He slid his hands up under her tee shirt and pulled it over her head, then kissed his way down her chest. She worked the buttons on his shirt, and then moved her palms over his bare chest, sliding over his male nipples and causing him to gasp. He shrugged out of the shirt, dropped it to the floor, then pulled her back into his arms. He found the clasp of her bra, then pulled the straps down her arms, and added it to the pile of discarded clothing.

He took her breasts in his hands, rubbing the nipples with his thumbs, and she moaned. “Oh, you’re so beautiful,” be breathed, and bent to take a nipple into his mouth. He sucked gently, and she tangled his hair in her fist and held his face against her, aware of the moisture gathering between her thighs.

“Oh god, Tom,” she said achingly. She unbuckled his belt and undid his trousers, and hooking her thumbs into his boxers, pushed both garments down far enough to free his cock, then took it in her hand. She gasped at the size. “Tom, you’re huge!” she moaned.

“So I’ve been told,” he said smirking. “And you have on too many clothes!” He undid her jeans and pushed them down her legs, then stepped back to look at her. His mouth twitched. “Lovely,” he said, trying not to laugh.

“Don’t laugh at my granny panties!” she said defensively. “They’re comfortable! And I didn’t know I was gonna end up in bed with the sexiest man on the planet!” The tension effectively dispelled, they laughed together. “Well, let’s get them off, shall we?” Tom said, and dropped to his knees before her. He slowly slid the offending panties down her legs, then gently parted her folds with both hands. When she felt his tongue on her clit, her hips bucked.

“Hmm, you taste good,” he whispered, and proceeded to lap at her core. He licked his tongue into her slit and her knees buckled. He caught her and laid her on the bed, pulling off her shoes and socks before reaching to removing his own.

“No!” she said plaintively. “leave your shoes! They’re really a turn on for me, I don’t know why…”

“Um, OK….“ he said wickedly. “That’s really kinky, baby. I like it. The shoes stay on.”

As he approached the bed to lay beside her, she got up and went to her knees. “Oh baby,” Tom groaned, as she took him in her mouth. He was amazed when he felt her lips against his groin; she was able to take him all. It was so arousing that he struggled to prevent himself from all-out slamming into her. As it was, he couldn’t stop himself from fucking her mouth, and she swallowed back in her throat, and with that he came, shooting hot cum into her hot, wet mouth. She licked him off, then smiled up at him. “How are you able to do that?” he asked astonished. “Good muscle control from singing,” she said proudly.

“Lay down,” he growled. When she complied, he covered her with his body, kissing and licking and sucking his way down, pausing to suckle at her nipples, then continuing lower, til he got to her sex. “I owe you an orgasm,” he said, his mouth muffled against her. He inserted a finger into her opening, and finding her sweet spot, proceeded to finger-fuck her. She was moaning and panting, and when he sucked her clit into his mouth, she cried out as she came, his name on her lips.

He didn’t wait for her come all the way down, but positioning his cock, hard once again, at her entrance, he thrust into her roughly. “I’m sorry, baby,” he growled out between thrusts, “I’m too far gone to be gentle.”

“I don’t want gentle!” she cried out, her fingers digging into his ass cheeks. She crossed her ankles behind his back and bucked her hips up into him. By grinding sideways she was able to stimulate her clit, and it wasn’t long before she cried out, ”Oh Tom, you’re gonna make me come again!” And he felt her walls clench and spasm around him, and he gave one last hard thrust and came deep inside her. “Leigh!” he cried, and collapsed on top of her, his strength spent.

As they slowly came down, Tom gathering her into his arms, smoothing her hair back from her forehead and kissing her brow. “You can spend the night, can’t you?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes, of course,” she murmured, nestling into his arms.

“Leigh, I know it’s too soon to say this, and I don’t expect you to say it back, but… Leigh, I love you. I never thought I’d find this, and now that I have, I don’t intend to let you go. I hope that doesn’t scare you.”

“You’re right,” she replied, looking deeply into his eyes, “it probably is too soon. But it doesn’t scare me, and I’m glad you’ve said it. I don’t know you very well, but l have always believed in love at first sight… I think I’ll leave it there.”

She gave a sweet smile, then cupping the back of his head, drew his mouth to hers and gave him a tender kiss. And they closed their eyes and were both soon asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to momfroglorita, who was the first person to ever send me fan mail telling me she liked one of my stories! Thank you, it still means a lot to me!
> 
> Warnings: alcohol, alcoholism this chapter, physical abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know if you like it, and as always, enjoy!

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 4

No one was more surprised than Leigh when, in the end, Tom joined the tour and went to Paris with the entourage. “I’m on break until I need to be in Ireland in three weeks,” he said reasonably, his arms wrapped around her, his head pillowed on her naked breast. He brushed his fingers over her nipple, and she gasped. “So why don’t I join the tour? I can attend your concerts, and you and I can spend as much downtime as we can getting to know each other better.” He gave her one of his soulful looks.  
Leigh didn’t really have to be persuaded. She thought that what was developing with Tom was the real thing, and she was grateful to have a couple of more weeks together to nurture it before they would have to be separated. Marnie was thrilled at the thought of how fantastic Leigh would sing, having Tom in the audience. “I want repeats of London!” she insisted.

The travel arrangements were made and the flight was uneventful. Tom loved Paris, but knew that this was a working trip for Leigh; she would have very little time to be a tourist. One they got settled in their hotel, Tom made a call to his publicist, Luke.

“Hello, Tom, what’s up?” Luke said, as he answered the phone.

“Uh, Luke, I’m in Paris,” Tom said hesitantly.

“Tom, what are you doing in Paris? How long will you be there? You have to be in Ireland in three weeks!” Luke said sharply.

“I know, Luke, I know,” Tom said placatingly. “I’ve gone on tour with Leigh Winston.”

“Leigh Winston? The singer?” Luke was shocked. He knew that Tom was quite a fan boy, but he couldn’t imagine Tom following her tour. “How have you gone ‘on tour’ with her? Are you following her, stalking her? Tom…”

“No, of course not, nothing like that!” Tom said, exasperated. “You know I would never do something like that! No, I attended her London concert last night, and I had VIP passes, so I got to meet her. Luke… we… clicked. I’ve joined her entourage so that she and l can spend more time together before I have to be in Ireland. You know I’ve always admired her. I think she might be, well, the one for me.”

“Really?” Luke sounded skeptical. “Well, OK, I hope so, this time. What do you want me to tell the press?”

Tom ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, that’s a good question.” He turned to Leigh. “Sweetheart, is it OK if my publicist tells the press that I’m your boyfriend?”

Leigh looked at him with a smirk. “I think that’s a safe thing to say. I guess I ought to call my own publicity people…”

In the end, they settled for having their publicists prepared to answer questions or make a statement if the situation called for it. They both agreed that they would admit that they were officially together as a couple if anyone asked, and that it would be OK to be seen together in public, but as it was early, an official statement wasn’t really called for yet. They resolved to learn as much about each other as they could over the next two and a half weeks, knowing that a concert tour would not be the most conducive environment for it. But every time they were together, the connection they felt made them both convinced that it was the right thing to do.

After Paris came Madrid, and then Rome and Athens. Tom felt as if he was in dream. Leigh was everything he had ever wanted in a woman: confident, playful, sensual, loving, smart, fun. He felt himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her. He dreaded having to part from her, but knew it was inevitable. He struggled to find a way to establish a commitment, but it still just seemed too soon to talk about such things.

Leigh was feeling the same way, and she wanted to know more about him. She took an opportunity to do some online research, and all she needed to do was type ’Tom Hiddleston’ in the search box, to be totally inundated. Photos, videos, articles – it seemed there were infinite resources about this man that she was beginning to suspect she was in love with. His video interviews totally enchanted her; he was so genuine, and just like the person he was when he was with her. She felt herself totally sinking, and she was pretty sure she was past the point of no return. He was obviously more famous than she was, in spite of the fact that she hadn’t been aware of him, but she was confident and comfortable in herself, and didn’t find it intimidating in the slightest.

The time flew by, and on the night before he had to leave, Tom decided it was time to broach the subject of Leigh’s alcoholism. He had nothing but admiration for her strength. In the two and a half weeks that he followed the tour with her, he saw no signs of her wavering whatsoever, and he wondered if she had exaggerated her problem in her own mind. She continued to encourage him to do what he wanted, and he took her at her word and never held himself back. Most evenings found him a little tipsy, and although he sometimes thought Leigh looked a little cross, she never looked tempted, and she never said a word.

They were in Athens, and Tom was flying back to London the next day so that he would have a few days to pack and be ready for Ireland. They were sitting together at the small table in Leigh’s suite, holding hands. Tom sipped from a bottle of beer, his third of the night, while Leigh was drinking Diet Mountain Dew, “my current drink of choice!” she said, jokingly.

“Tell me, Leigh,” Tom began, looking at her searchingly, “what trauma caused you to start having a problem with alcohol?”

“It’s a long story, Tom,“ Leigh said, wincing.

“I figured it would be,” he said soothingly, “but it’s YOUR story, and I want to hear it. I want to know everything about you, and something as integral as this…”

He broke off, licking his lips and running a hand through his hair. Then he looked deeply into her eyes, and continued. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, or to compromise you in any way, but if you would trust me enough to share your story with me, I’d really, really like to hear it…”

“My mother died when I was seven,” Leigh began in a hushed voice. “I was raised by my father and my grandmother. Dad tried, but raising a daughter is hard for a single father, so gran came to live with us when l was eight. She was a singer, and taught me from the minute she arrived. When I was a senior, I won the state high school singing championship, and got a scholarship to Julliard. That’s where I met Rex.” She paused, swallowing hard, then continued. “He was older, more experienced, handsome, talented, sought-after — glamorous, I suppose, and out of all the girls he knew, he wanted me. I was flattered, of course, and I fell hard and fast. Rex lived life in the fast lane, and for a while it was a whirl of parties and nightlife. Rex got on as a French horn player for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and for a while, we were happy. But then, a few years later, he was passed over for the principal’s position in favor of a younger player — someone I went to high school with, actually, who also went to Julliard — oh, yes, Alex is brilliant, but anyway … Rex took it hard. l was serious about my studies, and as Rex began to spiral down, my prospects actually were going up, and when he turned to drugs, that was the last straw. I left him…” her voice trailed off.

Tom ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. “If this is too painful for you…” he said.

“No,’’ she said, squaring her shoulders, reaching out to touch his lips with her fingertips. “I need to tell you…”

He nodded, and she continued.

“Rex came to me. He cried. He promised to get off the drugs, but he told me he couldn’t do it without my help, he said he needed me. And I went back to him. And he did get off the drugs. For a while… But he started… abusing… me. Every time, he would say he was sorry, he’d cry again, he’d swear it was the last time forever. I lost track of how many ’last times’ there were…” She took a deep breath, and suddenly, she couldn’t look at him.

“That’s when I began to drink. I drank at night so that I could sleep, I drank during the day to dull the physical pain. I had to have a drink first thing in the morning just to get out of bed. Then, Rex put me in the hospital. I was in for over week. And when I got out, I left Rex for good. I sold my apartment in New York and I moved to London.”

Tom brought her hand to his lips. “Go on,” he encouraged quietly.

“That’s where I met Marnie. And she befriended me. One day she called me up and suggested we have a girls’ day out. I didn’t know where she was taking me, but we ended up at an AA meeting. I was angry at first, but I stayed. That first meeting, I didn’t say anything, but l went back. And I kept going back.”

She looked up at him now, triumph showing in her eyes. “At first, I went to two or three meetings a day, whatever it took. Eventually, it was one a day, and now, most of the time, once a week works. I have the best sponsor…”

Tom gasped at her, a look of wonder on his face. ”Leigh, I’m so proud of you!” he whispered. “You’ve proven yourself to be such a strong, capable woman. I’m so grateful to be with you.”

“Me, too,“ she said shyly. “I thought I loved Rex, until I met you and found out what real love is…”

“Oh, Leigh, do you…?” he asked hopefully.

“Have I not said it yet, Tom?” she said playfully. He shook his head, afraid to say anything.

“Well, I love you, Tom!” she said happily. The smile on his face took her breath away, but then he got serious again. “But what of Rex?” he asked.

“No idea!” she said contentedly. “I haven’t heard from him since I left New York. And I hope I never do!”

Tom stood and raised her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and lowering his mouth to hers. As their lips touched, she sighed, and he took the opportunity to explore her mouth with his tongue. She ignored the taste of beer on him, and allowed herself to get lost in his kiss. She moaned deep in her throat, and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

“It’s our last night together for a while,“ he murmured in her ear. “Will you give yourself to me tonight with all the love in your soul?”

She touched her forehead to his and nodded. “Yes, Tom,” she said on a sigh.

“And I will give myself to you,” he promised. “Forever. I love you, Leigh.”

He took her hand and led her to the bed. He ran his hands up under her tee shirt and pulled it over her head, kissing her collarbones and brushing his palms over her lace-clad nipples. She sucked in a breath, then quickly unbuttoned his shirt, stroking her flat palms over his back and chest, thrilling at the feeling of his firm muscles under his smooth skin. He reached around and unclasped her bra, then pulled her close and rubbed his chest against her hardened nipples, and she moaned again.

She unbuckled his belt and undid his jeans, pushing them down enough to free his erection, and when she took him in her hand, stroking gently, he let out a groan and bucked into her hand. He quickly freed her from her jeans, then sat her down on the bed. He finished removing his own jeans, then joined her. He laid her on her back then moved over her, turning so that he faced her feet. Propping himself up on his elbows on either side of her hips, he used both hands to part her folds, then sucked her clit into his mouth. She whimpered, then using one hand at the based his erect cock, brought him to her mouth while she fondled his balls with the other hand. She deep throated him, causing him to cry out against her dripping pussy. He couldn’t prevent himself from fucking her mouth, and he pulled his mouth away from her core long enough to grit out, “god, Leigh, I’ll never get over you being able to do that!”

She smiled around him, letting out a humming sound, and speeding up her motions. Tom returned to her core, fucking her with his tongue, frequently returning to suckle her clit. Leigh could tell he was getting close, and she sucked harder and faster, but she was also getting closer, and her motions were becoming erratic.

“You need to come soon, Leigh,” Tom grunted, “because I’m going to shoot in your mouth.” Something about his words went straight to her core, and she stilled her motions, stiffened, and pushed herself against his mouth, coming hard, her cries muffled around his cock. She sucked in reflexively, and he came with a keening cry against her sex. They rode out their climaxes, and Tom collapsed to Leigh’s side, panting.

“Come here and kiss me,” she said languidly, and he turned to comply, and they could taste each other and themselves. “Mmmm,” Leigh said, “we taste better than the beer.”

“Oh god, Leigh” he said shakily. “I’m sorry, l never thought.”

“It’s OK, Tom,” she assured him, and drew him to her for another kiss. He caressed her breasts, and dropped kisses on her neck. When his mouth reached the sensitive area beneath her ear, she gasped and reached for his rapidly stiffening cock. “I need you to fuck me now, Tom,” she murmured. “Mmm,” he said. He grasped her hips and pulled her up to straddle him. “Ride me, baby,” he said.

She braced her hands against his chest and moved her hips up and down, clenching her inner walls around him. “I want this to last you til we’re together again,” she whispered, riding him hard. She rotated her hips until he was hitting her sweet spot, and when he brought thumb to clit, she came hard. He sat up abruptly, hugging her tightly to him, and with a couple more thrusts, came deep inside her, crying out her name.

He lay back, taking her with him, withdrawing slowly from her, kissing her brow and smoothing back her hair from off her forehead. She lay her head on his chest, pressing a soft kiss there.

“Oh, Tom, l do love you!” she said with wonder.

“And I love you so much, Leigh, my heart!” Tom replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, chapter 5, pretty much smut for smut’s sake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: sex this chapter…

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 5

The first week and a half after Tom left passed fairly quickly. Leigh still had four more concerts, and in order to not miss him so much, she poured herself into her music. After Athens came Krakow, and then Berlin. The concerts still went well, but Marnie was disappointed that they just weren’t as exciting as when Tom had been in the front row, acting as inspiration. Leigh sang for Tom, even though he wasn’t there, but without him feeding her back the energy, she felt flat. She was sure the audience was unaware of her listlessness, but after the electricity with Tom, she knew that she had never sang to her full potential until she had met him. Her love for him had brought her music alive.  
Tom’s first week on location was exciting and hectic. He took time to immerse himself in the character, and although he was not a method actor, he still took the time to try to figure out the motivations behind what drove his actions. Tom also took the time to get to know his costars and crew; he had a reputation for being generous and charming, and it was well-deserved. His hair and make-up people loved him. He was always polite and kind, even though it took hours in the chair, and he never acted as if he thought he was better than anybody else on the set, even down to the janitor who tidied up his trailer. He was so busy, he didn’t have time to miss Leigh, except at night, alone in his hotel room, where he would find himself aching for her.

They found time to exchange text messages on breaks:

[Our Love Is Here to Stay just played on my iPod, and I thought of you, of course! Txox]

[Marnie rented The Avengers, and gave me dirty looks when I cheered for Loki! Lxox]

[I love you, Leigh, my heart. I can’t wait to hold you again. Txox]

[I love you back, Tom! Soon! Lxox]

They spoke on the phone when they could, but the calls were usually brief, caught at odd times between rehearsals or takes. They weren’t satisfying, and both Tom and Leigh were feeling a kind of quiet desperation. Leigh found herself falling deeper in love with Tom every day, even though they weren’t physically together, and she was full of wonder at the beauty of it all. Tom couldn’t imagine life without Leigh, and in his off-time he thought about how he wanted their future to go. He knew he wanted a life with her; he wanted marriage, children. He wanted a family with Leigh, and he acted out scenarios in his mind, wondering if, when they saw each other in just over another week, it would be too soon to propose. He wondered what kind of ring she’d like.

Leigh had two concerts left. This day, they were in Copenhagen, and then the next day it would be back to the UK, to Glasgow for the last concert of the tour. Leigh was weary; she’d enjoyed the ride, but was glad for it to be over, and was looking forward to being home. And in a little over a week she’d be back in Tom’s arms! On this day, as she was taking a breather during rehearsal, her phone rang. It was Tom.

“Hello, my heart,” he said softly.

Leigh’s breath caught at the sound of his voice. “Tom,” she sighed. “I was just taking a break. Five more minutes and I would have missed you!”

“Well, I’m lucky I was able to call when I did then!” he said happily. “We’ve had a break in filming as well.” He paused, and Leigh could imagine the expression on his face as he thought about what he wanted to say. “Tom, is something wrong?” she asked.

“Oh, no, nothing’s wrong,” he said hastily. “It’s just…” Leigh could hear him licking his lips, and imagined him running his hand through his hair. “Leigh, I need to see you… Please!”

Tom’s begging nearly broke Leigh’s heart. “Soon, Tom,” she said soothingly. “Next week!”

“No,” Tom sighed. “Listen, Leigh… I know tomorrow’s a travel day for you, but the day after’s your last concert, yes?”

“That’s right, Tom, in Glasgow,“ Leigh confirmed.

“That day they’ll be filming scenes without me in the afternoon. I’m only filming in the morning, and then I’ll be off the rest of the day. I know it’s a lot to ask, but do you think you could maybe… skip afternoon rehearsal that day so that we could facetime?”

Leigh didn’t really have to think about it. It was the last concert of the tour. She knew the songs – she’d done this same concert seven times already over the last six weeks. There wasn’t really any reason why she couldn’t skip a rehearsal that day so that she could video call her boyfriend. “Yes, Tom, of course,” she said. “What time, exactly?”

“Is 2:00 OK?” he asked excitedly. She could imagine the puppy eyes he was making, and his excitement was contagious.

“Perfect!” she said. “Oh Tom, it will be so good to see you!”

“Oh, love, you have no idea!” Tom said, sounding giddy.

The next day, they moved the entire touring crew to Glasgow. Leigh was so glad to be back in the UK, and so grateful that the tour was nearly over. She’d loved it, but she was really looking forward to a break. Although she was close to being exhausted, she hadn’t slept very well the night before because she was so excited at the idea of seeing Tom, even if it was only virtually. On the next day, the day of the last concert of the tour, Leigh rushed back to her room after morning rehearsal. She’d told Marnie and the crew to take the rest of the day off, until concert time, then hurried to get ready for her facetime with Tom. She got comfortable by putting on her favorite tee shirt (green with a Loki helmet screen-print, with the caption ‘I do what I want!’) and the usual ‘granny panties.’ She’d picked up a large plastic serving tray from the kitchen to sit her iPad on, and as 2:00 neared, she made herself comfortable on the bed, pulled up the facetime app, and sat waiting for Tom to call.

When the signal came, she tapped the appropriate buttons, placed the iPad on the borrowed kitchen tray, and then sat looking at the screen. When she saw Tom, her breath caught. “Oh, Tom,“ she said, closing her eyes briefly. She could see just his face, and he looked so beautiful that she felt tears prick her eyes. “It’s so very good to see you!”

Tom looked at her, grinning. “Uh, Leigh, what are you wearing?”

She looked down at herself. “What?” she said defensively. “I’m comfortable! I’ve got on my Loki tee shirt and…”

“Don’t say it!” Tom smirked. “Granny panties!”

He pushed his iPad away from him, putting it on a table, and she could see that he was sitting on the couch in his hotel room. She could also see that he was naked, and she let out a little gasp. “Tom…”

He looked a little uncomfortable, but then he rubbed his hand over his throat and looked straight at the screen. Leigh could see that his cock was already hard, and as she watched, he took it in his hand and began to stoke himself. “I just really need you, Leigh, and I thought we could be together this way…”

Leigh felt herself smile. ”I guess I feel a little self-conscious, but what a great idea!” she said teasingly. “But you’re ahead of me – let me catch up!” And with that, she peeled off her tee shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her breasts gave a little jiggle. Tom had stopped stoking himself, but at the sight of her naked breasts bouncing, he moaned and gave his cock another stroke.

“Let me get rid of these,” Leigh said teasingly, running her thumbs under the waistband of her panties. Then laying back on the bed, she lifted her hips, slowly pulling the panties down her legs. She pulled them off her feet, then tossed them away.

Tom’s cock twitched, and he gave it another stroke. “God, Leigh, you even make granny panties look sexy,” he said with another moan.

Watching Tom pleasure himself was making Leigh wet, and even though she felt self-conscious, she was so aroused that she soon forgot that they weren’t together in the same room. She rubbed her flat palms over her breasts, and her nipples hardened. She pinched and rolled them gently between her thumbs and forefingers, watching Tom the whole time. He sucked in a breath and his strokes sped up.

“Easy, lover,” Leigh purred. “Slow down, or you’ll come without me.” She gave him a sultry smile.

Tom’s jaw clenched. He forced his hand to still, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Catch up,” he said. “Touch yourself, Leigh.”

Leigh was quick to comply. She ran her palms from her breasts down her stomach then paused there teasingly, then gently parted her folds. “Look how wet I am for you, Tom,” she whispered. Tom could see her arousal pooling around her opening, and he gave a sound that was almost a growl. “Leigh…” he bit out.

She circled her clit with an index finger, and her hips bucked in response. “OK, enough teasing,” she whimpered, and began pleasuring herself in earnest. She rubbed her clit back and forth and in circles with the fingers of her right hand, and her breath sped up. Tom could hear her panting, and he began to stroke himself again. He cupped his balls with his other hand, rubbing gently, and Leigh could see the light sheen of sweat that coated his forehead.

Leigh inserted the index finger of her other hand into her opening, and when she hit her sweet spot, she cried out, and rubbed her clit faster. She felt her climax building, but she wanted to come with Tom. “Tom… Tom…” she gasped. “Are you…?”

“Yeah,” he said between pants. He was now stroking fast, pounding his fist, his hips bucking.

“Me too,” Leigh grunted.

“OK, Leigh… Leigh… Oh, I’m gonna cum…” And Leigh saw his hot cum shooting out his tip all over his chest and belly. As soon as she saw the first hot shoot, she clenched her thighs together, her hand stilling on her core, hips bucking. “Oh god, Tom, I‘m coming!” she cried out.

They both lay panting, coming down from their orgasms, identical smiles of satisfaction on both their faces. “Wow, Leigh, that was fantastic!” Tom said, looking at Leigh through the screen, an adoring look on his face.

“Was it ever!” Leigh agreed. She looked into Tom’s eyes. “Tom, I really love you, and I miss you so much,” she said longingly. “I can’t wait for this week to be over so that we can be together again.”

“Me too, Leigh, my heart,” Tom whispered. “I love you, Leigh.”

Leigh gazed at Tom, delighted to be seeing him, but the time had passed quicker than she had imagined. “Tom, I have to get ready for my concert…” she said regretfully.

“I know you do, love,” Tom said gently. “You go knock ‘em dead, baby! And Leigh,” he said, a wistful smile on his face, “even though I’m not there, will you sing for me?”

“Always, my Tom,” Leigh assured him. “Always.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am REALLY sorry for this chapter! I HATE cliffhangers, and I’ve gone and done one! I blame Tom! But, really, the chapter is already kinda long, and what happens next will be it’s own chapter, so, here it is.
> 
> Man, angsty Tarry is kinda scary Tarry!
> 
> For nicbeast, patti1022, alisondeluca, momfroglorita
> 
> Love you guys!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings this chapter: alcohol, abuse, stalking, animal cruelty

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 6

As the final notes of the final song lingered and then faded away, Leigh gave a sigh of relief. She blew kisses to the audience, smiling and waving. “Thank you all so much!” she called. ”You’ve been a tremendous audience! Good-night!” And with that, she exited the stage. Meeting Marnie backstage, she reached for her bottle of water, opened it, and downed it in one gulp.  
“Well?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“Easy there, you’ll make yourself sick,” Marnie said, rubbing her back. “Good concert tonight. Better than Copenhagen, way better than Berlin. Not near as good as Rome, though.”

”Tom was at Rome,” Leigh said quietly.

“I know, silly,” Marnie smirked. “And now we’re going home, and in a week, he’ll be back.”

“I know,” Leigh said wistfully. “It’s just that I miss him so much, he’s so close, but I still can’t see him!”

“Well, let’s get cleaned up and packed,” Marnie said, starting towards the exit of the arena. “Tomorrow’s flight home is pretty early.”

When they got outside, security people had roped off the walkways, which were lined with fans. Leigh stopped along the way to sign autographs and pose for photos. She was tired, but she really loved this. Being able to interact with her fans was one of her favorite parts of being a successful entertainer, and she made sure to let all her fans know how grateful she was for their support.

As she moved along amid the camera flashes and loudly talking throng, she missed the tall, husky dangerous-looking man standing at the fringes, his brows drawn down, several days’ growth of facial stubble, deep-set brown eyes, face set in a scowl. He hung back, avoiding her notice, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His mouth quirked into a wicked grin. He would just have to pay fucking Miss Leigh Winston a visit. Soon.

The flight home was uneventful, and Leigh let herself into her flat, dropped her suitcase, changed into tee shirt and panties, and fell into bed. Before she dropped off to sleep, she sent Tom a text: 

[Home! Gonna sleep now. Give me 4 or 5 hours, then call me when you get a chance. I love you! Lxox]   
To which Tom responded: [Glad you’re home, baby. Talk to you in a few. I love you! Txox]

When she woke, Leigh unpacked and started some laundry. One of her staff had left a packet of fan mail on the kitchen counter, and she decided to look it over. Leigh took great pride in reading all her fan mail personally, and while it was time consuming, she knew it brought her a closer connection with her fans. As she opened the letters, she sorted them into piles: those that only needed a signed photo, and those that could use a more personal response. There was also a third pile, for the ones that seemed threatening. Those would be turned over to a staff member, who would decide if they should go to the police or not. Leigh occasionally did receive threatening mail, but to her knowledge, it had always been deemed harmless; nothing had ever needed to be turned over to the police.

Today, she was happily sorting through, when she got to an envelope that for some reason or other, made her feel uneasy. She noticed that it had no return address, and no stamp. She recognized the handwriting: Rex.

She realized she was holding her breath, and let it out slowly. She slit open the envelope and pulled out the contents.

A handwritten letter and a grainy photograph fell into her lap. She picked up the photo and looked at it. It had been taken from a long distance, and showed her and Tom, hugging just off stage after the London concert. She picked up the letter to read:

Hey Leigh, who’s the pretty boy? Does he fuck as good as I do? I think you need a reminder of

who you belong to. I’ll see you real soon. Love, Rex

Leigh gasped, dropping the letter, and just then her phone rang. She sat, dazed, too scared to answer it, when she remembered that Tom was supposed to call. Looking at the screen and confirming who was calling, she answered it quickly. “Tom,“ she gasped.

“Leigh, you sound upset.” Tom asked, concerned. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes, Tom,” Leigh lied. “Everything’s fine. I just had to run and get my phone off the charger.” She was panting.

“Well, how’s home? How was your flight?” he still sounded worried.

“The flight was uneventful,” Leigh forced herself to calm down, and chuckled softly. “Home is… lonely without you,” she finished.

“I’ll be home in a week, baby!” he said reassuringly. “Hey, Leigh I need to go now, but I had to hear your voice. I love you! You’re still picking me up at the airport, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Tom,” Leigh said. “I have the flight information, they couldn’t keep me away…” Leigh paused. “Tom,” she said in a hushed voice, “I need you to know how much I love you, OK?”

She heard him sigh. “Yes, of course, Leigh,” he said lovingly. “I love you, too. More than I’m sure you realize…”

“Goodbye, Tom. I’ll see you in a week,” Leigh said wistfully.

“Yes, goodbye Leigh. I can’t wait!”

Three days later, Leigh was returning from a shopping trip, walking up the steps to her porch, when she noticed a small bundle on the mat. As she got closer, she could see that it was a dead bird. It had been stabbed with one of the little plastic swords used to hold fruit in cocktails, and there was a card underneath, sticking out far enough that she could read ‘you’re next’ written on it. Leigh let out a little scream, putting her hands over her mouth. She turned around, running down the sidewalk, taking out her phone and calling Marnie.

“Marn, Rex is here,” she gasped.

“Where, exactly?” Marnie asked.

“Here, in London,” Leigh’s voice shook. “He left me a threatening letter, delivered it directly to my house, it had no stamp. And when I got home today there was a dead bird on my porch, and a note that says I’m next.” Leigh was breathless, her words all running together.

“Leigh, calm down, I can’t understand you. Have you called the police?” Marnie asked.

“No, not yet,” Leigh said, still shaken.

“Do it,” Marnie said firmly. “And I’m coming over. I’ll be there in 10.”

“Thanks, Marn,” Leigh said gratefully. “I owe you.”

“Damn right you do!” Marnie snapped.

Marnie arrived just before the police, who took Leigh’s statement and gathered up the dead bird and card. Leigh also retrieved the letter and photo from before, and the officers agreed that the handwriting looked the same, but that further investigation would need to be done in order to make sure it was really Rex. They assured her that they’d be in touch, then left.

“Well, obviously you’re not staying here,” Marnie said. “Go pack a bag, you’re coming to my place.”

“Thank you, Marnie,” Leigh said gratefully, and went to stuff some clean underwear, socks, a couple of tee shirts, and her toothbrush into a bag. Without a second look, she left her flat and joined Marnie in her car.

“Thanks, Marn,“ she said again. “I know that this is really gonna cramp your style with Simon.” Simon was Marnie’s boyfriend.

“He’ll be OK when I tell him about that dead bird,” Marnie said flatly. “Eww, scary.” And she gave a little shiver.

“Well, I’m grateful!” Leigh said. “There’s no way I could have stayed there!”

Things all came to a head the night before Tom was supposed to come home. Leigh was still staying with Marnie, as the police had not yet concluded their investigation, and Leigh was sure that Rex was still out there. She knew what he was capable of, and she didn’t want to take any chances. But she was out of clean clothes, so that afternoon she made a trip back to her flat. She experienced a huge sense of déjà vu, and froze when she saw what looked like a sweater on the mat. Getting closer, she saw that it was a dead cat, and she dropped her purse and started screaming. A couple who were passing by came up to her.

“Are you OK?” the girl asked, putting an arm around Leigh’s shoulders. Leigh just pointed, and when the girl saw what Leigh was looking at, she gave out a little shriek. “Nigel, call the police!” she said.

Nigel did so, and he and Judy, for that was her name, stayed with Leigh til the police arrived.

“This is what we were needing,” the officers assured her. “We can arrest him now.” This time he had left a detailed letter, stating just what he planned to do to her, and he had been stupid enough to sign it. Leigh supposed she should grateful, it would be over soon.

Marnie was at Simon’s, so Leigh decided to just stay at her own flat. The police had promised to post an officer to watch the building, and they told her they would contact her once Rex had been arrested.

It was after eleven when they finally called; Rex had been arrested and was in custody, and Leigh gave a sigh of relief. He was finally in jail, and would be turned over for trial. She sat on the couch, got herself a Diet Mountain Dew and some chips, put the DVD of Thor in the player, and called Tom.

Tom was at the wrap party, and he was having the time of his life. He’d lost track two or three drinks ago of just how many he’d had, and he was being his usual self, acting silly and having a good time. He was so excited to be seeing Leigh tomorrow, but tonight, he was with the cast and crew he’d bonded with over the last four weeks, and, truth be told, Leigh was far from his thoughts. He wandered out onto the dance floor again, spotting a beautiful woman in a tight red dress, cleavage down to her waist. He maneuvered over next to her, and pretty soon, she had her back to him, grinding against him. He was instantly hard, and he put his hands on her hips and pulled her in tight, rubbing his cock against her. Somewhere inside him, a voice was trying to tell him that he shouldn’t be doing this, but he’d had so much to drink, that he really couldn’t hear it. The woman turned around and grabbed his tie; pressing herself against him and kissing him, shoving her tongue in his mouth.

“Want to buy me a drink?” she asked flirtatiously.

“Shure,” Tom said, slurring his words. He bought them both drinks. “I’m Tom,” he said.

“Tiffany,” she said, kissing him again, reaching down to rub his stiff cock through his trousers. “Whatcha got here for me, hmm?” she asked playfully.

He pulled her to him again, rubbing against her, and kissing her deeply. That voice at the back of his head was screaming at him now that there was a reason he shouldn’t be doing this, but he really couldn’t hear it at all. Something… He shook his head to clear it and kissed Tiffany again. She continued to fondle him through his trousers, then pressing her mouth to his ear, she said, “Why don’t you take me to your room, hmm?”

Tom took her hand and led her from the bar. It felt wrong, but he wasn’t sure why. In the elevator, they continued kissing until they got to Tom’s floor, then he took her hand again and led her to his room. Once inside, she dropped to her knees and unbuckled his belt, then undid his trousers and pulled them down his legs. She untied his shoes and he stepped out of them, then stepped out of his trousers. She put her thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down, freeing his stiff cock. She reached out and stroked him. “Wow, Tom,” she purred, “you’re impressive!”

Just then, his phone rang.

“Oh my god! Leigh!” he moaned, coming back to himself.

“No, lover, Tiffany,” the girl said, giggling.

Tom suddenly remembered why he shouldn’t be naked in his room with this girl, and he scrambled to find his phone in his trouser pocket. Tiffany pouted. “Come on, lover, come back!” she called.

Tom got to his phone and answered it. “Leigh!” he said.

“Tom,” Leigh was crying. “I needed to hear your voice. Something horrible has happened…”

"Oh, Leigh!" Tom gasped. He couldn’t believe this was happening. It couldn’t be real.

“No, silly, Tiffany, remember?” Tiffany said loudly. “Come back, lover, I miss you!”

Leigh froze. “Tom,” she said faintly, “who is that?”

“Nobody,” Tom said shakily, “She’s not anybody…”

“Hey, that’s not what you were saying a minute ago!” Tiffany yelled.

“Would you be quiet?” Tom said loudly. His words were slurred, Leigh could tell that he was drunk. There was an immense roaring in her ears, she couldn’t hear anything. Suddenly her legs felt boneless, and she collapsed onto the couch. ”G’bye, Tom,” she said distantly, and hung up the phone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> once again, for nicbeast patti1022 momfroglorita so-easy-to-love-me alisondeluca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings this chapter: brief mention of stalking, animal cruelty, alcohol, alcoholism
> 
> special note: first of all, let me say that I am an alcoholic. I’ve been sober since October 6, 1986. I went to a few AA meetings, but ultimately I went through a different program through my church, so if my depiction of AA sponsorship is inaccurate, I apologize profusely. Alcoholism sucks, and it can cause you to do things you would never do sober. It can cause you to forget what matters to you. And damn it, I do know first hand, so don’t try to tell me that that part of my story isn’t true. *gets off soap box*
> 
> So, as always, let me know if you like the story. Thank you for reading. I can’t say that enough: THANK YOU FOR READING! You have no idea how much it means to me! And as ever, enjoy!

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 7

Leigh needed a drink. Rex had come after her, and when she’d called Tom to tell him, needing the comfort of his voice, he’d been fucking another woman. And Leigh seriously needed a drink.

Hmmm, there wasn’t a drop of alcohol in the house. Well, she could fix that. She walked in a daze to her room to get dressed. Everything felt fuzzy, like she was wrapped in cotton wool. Surely a drink would help with that…  
She slipped on her shoes, then went to put on her coat and grab her purse. She left her flat and started walking. Where was the nearest bar? How far was it? She’d find it. She put one foot in front of the other, her head down, not paying any attention to where she was going.

Her phone rang. It was Tom. She wondered if he was through fucking his whore. She ignored him and kept walking. Need that drink, she thought. She wondered how many times Tom would call. She quit counting after the tenth time. The next time the phone rang, she looked at it out of habit, and this time, it was Marnie, so she answered. “Hey, Marnie,” she said distantly.

Marnie knew instantly that something was wrong. “Leigh”, she said tensely, “what is it? Is it Rex?”

“Rex has been arrested,” Leigh said, in that dazed voice.

“Then Leigh, what is it?” Marnie insisted.

“Need a drink, Marnie,” Leigh mumbled. “Do you know where is the nearest bar to my flat?”

“Leigh, no!” Marnie said firmly. “You haven’t had a drink tonight yet, have you?”

“No, “Leigh said, “can’t find a bar…”

“Leigh, go home,” Marnie ordered. “I’m calling Andre.”

Mention of her AA sponsor’s name seemed to snap Leigh out of it a bit. “God, Marnie, what am doing?”

“I don’t know, Leigh…” Marnie said patiently. “What happened?”

“God, Marnie, I need a drink,“ Leigh moaned. “Call Andre, have him come to my flat. I need him…” she ended in a sob.

“Leigh, what fucking happened?” Marnie demanded.

“I called Tom to tell him about Rex, and he was fucking another girl. Some whore name Tiffany…” Tears were running down her face now. “I could hear her, right there with him. He didn’t even try to deny it.”

“Fucking bastard,” Marnie spat. “I’ll fucking kill him! Go home, Leigh. And don’t do anything stupid. Don’t give up five years of sobriety for this bastard, because clearly, he isn’t worth it. Andre will be there soon.”

”Thanks, Marnie,” Leigh sniffed, and turned around to head for home.

 

Tom hit send again, but he knew Leigh wouldn’t answer. Again. And he couldn’t blame her. He wanted to have the chance to explain, to tell her he loved her, the chance to tell her nothing had happened, but he knew the only reason it hadn’t was because her phone call had somehow woke him up from the stupor he’d been in. He’d immediately sent Tiffany packing, then had frantically begun calling Leigh, knowing full well that she wouldn’t answer. Had their situations been reversed, he knew he wouldn’t answer, either, but he had to try. And, he was worried, because she’d called him to tell him about something that happened — something horrible, she’d said…

He tapped out another text message, this made eleven or twelve, he wasn’t sure which, and sent it, and then called again. This time when it went to Voice mail, he left a message: “Leigh, please, I’m sorry. Please let me explain. Leigh, I’m worried — you said something horrible had happened. Leigh, really, I’m so sorry. I love you so much. Please, Leigh, don’t give up on me… don’t give up on us!”

Leigh paced around her living room, waiting for Andre to arrive. She forced herself to stay there; her flat was one of the safest places in London for her right now – there hadn’t been alcohol there for five years. She felt dead inside. She couldn’t believe Tom would cheat on her that way. She had just talked to him the day before, and he’d been telling her how much he loved her, and then today, this. On a day when she really needed him. She guessed she was lucky she’d found out how he was now.

She wandered into the kitchen. One of her staff had once again left her a stack of fan mail, and off to the side was a tabloid magazine, and curious as to why it was there, she picked it up and turned it right side- up. Oh god. On the cover was a photo of her and Tom taken at the hotel they’d stayed at in Athens, kissing. The caption read `Songs of the Heart – Internet darling Tom Hiddleston gets cozy with jazz sensation Leigh Winston — How Harmonious!´ Leigh thought she might vomit. She dropped the magazine to the floor.

A pounding on the front door broke through her daze. “Leigh, let me in,” a rich, deep bass voice, muffled by the door, called out. “It’s Andre.”

Leigh ran to the door and threw it open, and launched herself at the man on the other side. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. “Andre,” was all she said.

Andre shuffled forward, moving her backwards, shutting the door behind him, and held her tight. He ran one hand soothingly over her back, and smoothed the hair back from her face with the other. He dried her tears with his thumbs, and putting his forehead to hers, said, “Let’s sit down and you can tell me all about it, Leigh.”

“OK,” she nodded, and led him to the couch. He sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled against him and put her hand on his chest.

“Now,” he said, “tell me what happened.”

Leigh told him the whole story, about Rex, the threatening letters, the dead animals, the police, his arrest, and then calling Tom and what she’d heard. “And I thought he loved me. And, Andre, I want a drink so bad. But Marnie says he’s not worth it, and she’s right, but I love him so much and it hurts so bad…” Leigh was overcome by another crying fit.

Andre pressed a soft kiss to her brow. “Obviously, I won’t leave you alone tonight,” he said softly. “What did Tom have to say for himself?” Leigh pulled away from him, looking up at him incredulously. “What could he say?” she said, shocked. “I heard it. I hung up on his cheating ass!”

“You have to give him a chance to explain,” Andre said evenly. “It’s only fair.”

“I don’t have to do anything!“ Leigh muttered, burying her face against his chest again. He stroked her hair gently, and continued to press soft kisses to her hair and forehead. Leigh sighed.

Andre was devilishly good looking, 6 feet even, dark brown shaggy hair, deep brown eyes with long black lashes, that weren’t feminine at all. He had tanned skin, and a dark, well-trimmed beard. When he had first become her sponsor, Leigh had had quite a crush on him, and he had almost been ready to ask the leaders of their group to find her another sponsor, but Leigh valued his friendship and support, and she herself, feeling that at that time she needed that support more than a romantic relationship, had purposely pulled herself back from wanting more, and now Andre had a wife and children. But just now, with her heart broken, her dreams of a future with Tom shattered around her feet; now, sitting here cuddled up with Andre, his body warm and strong, his arms around her, his lips on her forehead… if she couldn’t have Tom, and she couldn’t have a drink, maybe she could have Andre…

She lifted her head, and cupping her hand about the back of his neck, she pulled Andre’s mouth to hers. She kissed him softly, and at first he allowed it, rubbing his closed lips lightly against hers, but when her lips parted and she tried to deepen the kiss, he put his hand to her face and gently pushed her away. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and looked into her eyes.

“Suppose your Tom, or my Melissa, were to walk in right now and see and hear us like this, hmm?” he murmured. “What would they think?”

She buried her face against his chest again. “That’s different!” she protested, he voice muffled. “He cheated on me! I was only trying…“

“I didn’t cheat on Melissa,” he said reasonably. “But what would this look like to her?”

Leigh froze, suddenly embarrassed by what she’d been trying to do. “Oh god, you’re right,“ she said, jumping up from the couch and starting to pace.

“You have to give Tom a chance to explain,” Andre said quietly. “You have to hear him out. You owe him that. You have to listen to him, and then decide if what the two of you have together is worth trying to save, if it’s worth fighting for.” He paused, allowing her to process his words, then continued. “Then, and only then, can you ever have peace if you decide that what you need to do is walk away.”

Leigh stood there, thinking about what Andre had said. She smiled at him through her tears. “How did you get to be so smart?” she asked, chuckling a little.

“Just born that way, I guess,” he said, smirking.

Tom finished packing and sat on the couch in his hotel room. He wasn’t going to even pretend to try to sleep. The whole evening seemed like a bad dream, and he had to force himself to believe that it had even happened. He went back over the steps in his mind. He went to the wrap party, he was having fun, he danced, he had a few drinks… who was he kidding? He had a lot of drinks, he was thoroughly plastered. That was the only reason he’d paid any attention to that girl – what was her name? Brittany, Tiffany… yes Tiffany, he thought. Yes, he’d been drunk… and then he’d totally forgotten about Leigh.

He’d been drunk, and he’d forgotten about Leigh.

Leigh, with the voice an angel, who sang just for him; Leigh, with the beautiful dark hazel brown eyes that looked at him with such love; Leigh, with the mane of flowing ebony hair that he loved to wrap around his fingers. Leigh, who he loved more than anything in life, more than his career, more than any and all of his possessions, more than his fame… 

Leigh, who was his heart.

Leigh, who had a problem with alcohol. And now, alcohol had maybe caused him to lose her…

Tom wondered if maybe he didn’t have a problem with alcohol, too.

Leigh had made tea, and now she and Andre were sitting companionably on the couch, sipping and talking.

“I want you to tell me about your Tom,” Andre said now. “Who is he? How did you meet him?“

“It’s kind of a funny story,” Leigh began. “Looking back on it now, he handled it rather well.”

“What do you mean?” Andre asked. Leigh told him all about the concert, the meet-and-greet, how Tom was such a fan boy of hers.

“He was there at my concert with the actor Chris Hemsworth and his wife, and I didn’t know who he was, and he was so disappointed…”

Andre’s reaction was a little like Marnie’s had been. “Wait, this Tom, your Tom, he came to your concert with Chris Hemsworth, and is he an actor too?”

“Yes,” Leigh nodded, smirking. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you? Would you believe me if I told you I genuinely had no clue?”

“Leigh,” Andre paused, and swallowed hard, “are you honestly dating Tom Hiddleston?”

Leigh’s face fell. “Well, I was, up until tonight,” she said.

Tom wasn’t sure at what point he thought to call Marnie, but he figured it was a stroke of genius. Not bothering to check to see what time it was, he pulled up her number in his contact list and hit send.

“Do you bloody know what time it is?” said her groggy voice.

“Honestly? No,” said Tom, running his hand through his hair. “Listen, Marnie…”

“No, you listen, Tom!” she snapped, more awake now. “I’d like to kick your bloody arse all the way from where you are to here! You’d damn well better have a good explanation.”

“I don’t,” Tom said quietly. “I was drunk. So drunk, I forgot what really matters to me. I hope Leigh will listen to me; I hope she’ll forgive me and take me back. But even if she won’t, I need to get help, I want to get help, I’m going to get help. Will you please tell her all this for me?”

Marnie got quiet. “Yes, Tom, l will,” she said.

The ending credits for Thor were rolling, when Andre stood up and stretched. “Get me a blanket and a pillow, Leigh, and go to bed.”

“OK, yeah, I could maybe sleep now,” Leigh said. “Will you really be OK on the couch? You want my bed?”

“No, the couch is fine,” he said, kissing her forehead. “You know, your Tom, he’s a magic guy. You’re really lucky,” Andre said teasingly. But then he got serious. “But, he has you. That makes him a very lucky guy indeed.”

Leigh blushed. “Thanks, Andre. Just — thanks.”

The text message coming in at 4:35 am woke Tom from the uneasy sleep he had fallen into on the couch. It was in response to the last one he had sent to Leigh.

[Leigh, I’m so sorry. I do love you. I hope you’ll give me a chance to explain and prove it to you. Please. And Leigh, I hate to ask, but are you still picking me up at the airport tomorrow? Txox]

[Tom, you should be grateful that I have good friends who have convinced me that you do deserve a chance to explain. It had better be good. In spite of everything, I still love you. Yes, I WILL see you tomorrow at the airport. Leigh Winston]


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soooo much! So, a lot of angsty, angsty Tom in this one, as he makes his tearful confession… I hope I did it justice. I will tell you, I had some hesitation in portraying him the way I have, but i have read many a fan fic where he’s cruel, mean, even brain-damaged, so this is fiction, and unless he himself calls me on it, I’m not gonna apologize! soooo,…
> 
> warnings: alcoholism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AS ALWAYS: THANK YOU if you’re reading this!!! Really! Let me know if you like it! Send me love letters! And, as always, enjoy!
> 
> Once again, for nicbeast patti1022 so-easy-to-love-me alisondeluca momfroglorita love you guys! and for only2b as well!

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 8

Leigh woke the next day to the smell of coffee and bacon. Putting on a tee shirt and shorts, she wandered into the kitchen to find Andre putting the finishing touches on breakfast: bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee.

He turned to her, smiling. “How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“OK,” she said. “Wow, thanks for doing all this! Fantastic!”  
“Well, let’s sit and eat it!” Andre said, looking at her searchingly. “What time is Tom’s flight? Do you want me to come with you to the airport?”

“Flight’s at 10:30,” Leigh said, a little pucker between her brows. “No, I want — I need — to go alone. Like you said, Tom and l need to talk.”

“OK,” Andre said, nodding. “I’ll stay with you til you leave.”

“Please,” Leigh said gratefully on a sigh.

Marnie had called Andre before Leigh woke up. “Hey Andre, how’s Leigh?” she’d asked.

“Still asleep, “Andre’d said. “I’m cooking some breakfast…”

“What a guy!” Marnie’d laughed. “Hey, Andre, Tom called me in the middle of the night. He… well, apparently he‘d been drunk. He asked me to tell Leigh… well, he said he hoped she’d listen and take him back, but he didn’t sound hopeful. But he wanted me to tell her… he said he thinks he has a problem with alcohol, and he promised to get help, and he wanted me to let Leigh know…”

“Ah,” Andre’d said. “I guess that could explain everything.”

“So, do I tell her?” Marnie asked. “Your opinion…”

“If she hadn’t agreed to give him a chance to explain, I’d say yes,” Andre’d chuckled, “but I talked her into it, and she’s picking him up at the airport. I think we can let him tell her himself!”

“You, sir, are a magician!” Marnie’d sounded impressed. “However did you manage that?”

“Let’s just say I effectively demonstrated to her that things aren’t always what they seem!” Andre was still chuckling.

“Well, truly, l hope things work out for them. You should see them together, Andre. They are so in love! And if he get off the booze…”

“I hope I get that chance, to see them together!” Andre said. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to help him here, find him a sponsor. So thanks for telling me this, Marnie. It gives me hope. And Leigh’s lucky to have you as a friend.”

“Same to you, Andre. Same to you.”

Leigh dressed, not taking any special care with her appearance; tee shirt, jeans, Birk clogs. She gave a self-satisfied smirk as she pulled on white cotton granny panties. After what had happened with Andre, she admitted that she needed to hear Tom out, but she did didn’t want to dress like she was giving him any encouragement. She acknowledged that he deserved to tell his side of the story, but as she turned it over and over in her head, she just couldn’t imagine him saying anything that could explain away what she’d heard.

“How do I look?” she asked Andre on returning to the living room.

“You look like ‘fuck you, Tom,’” Andre laughed. “Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Leigh said, grinning. She wrapped her arms around Andre’s waist, and he hugged her and kissed her forehead. “Thanks, Andre, for everything. For staying with me, for not, you know, um…”

“You’re welcome, Leigh,” he said gently. “Hear him out. He might just surprise you.”

“I doubt it. But thanks to you, I will hear him out. I’ll let him know that he owes you!”

“You do that!” Andre said. ”Let me know how it goes!”

“I will Andre! Thanks again.”

It only took Leigh about half an hour to get to the airport, and she was twenty minutes early. So she found a seat and sat fidgeting until Tom’s plane arrived. She purposely put all speculation out of her head; it was only making her crazy. Tom was the only one who could tell her what had really happened. She’d listen, and then make a decision based on what he said.

When people started to trickle down the ramp off the plane, Leigh stood, waiting. Tom was taller than most of them, so when he came into view, she spotted him right away. He had a carry-on bag and was wearing a cap and shades, but she recognized his clothes and knew him instantly. His head was swiveling, and she knew he was looking for her. She could tell the exact moment he spotted her, standing a little by herself, because he froze, then changed direction and came directly at her. When he got close, he dropped his bag, and took off his cap and shades and dropped them, too. He fell to his knees, wrapped his arms around her hips, and, sobbing wordlessly, he pressed his face to her stomach. His shoulders shook, and people were staring, but his face was hidden, and most people turned away, recognizing grief and not wanting to intrude.

Leigh didn’t know what to do, so she awkwardly patted his head a few times, then ran her fingers through his hair. “Tom, Tom,” she whispered. “Tom, stand up… People are staring! Someone’s going to recognize you!”

He hugged her harder, then pulled his face away from her, looking up at her. “I don’t care!” he said brokenly. Tears were running down his cheeks (and her tee shirt was wet with them), and Leigh wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him look more beautiful. She caressed his face, wiping his tears, biting her lower lip. “Tom,” she said.

He stood and hugged her fiercely, eyes clenched shut. “Leigh,” he breathed. “Please, forgive me. Please… I just don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t…”

She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes. “Maybe I will,” she said. “Let’s get your luggage and I’ll take you home. And then you can try to explain it to me. If you can.”

“Yes,” he said. “Thank you. I don’t know what miracle convinced you to give me a chance, but I’m grateful.”

“His name’s Andre, and you owe him more than you know,” Leigh said quietly.

Tom felt a stab of jealousy, but he forced it down, and said, “I hope l get an opportunity to thank him someday.”

Leigh was silent on the way to Tom’s flat, and as hard as it was, Tom followed her lead, and didn’t say anything either. When they arrived, she shouldered his carry-on bag, leaving him to carry his big suit case, and followed him in. Memories of their first time together flooded her once she entered the familiar space, and a tear rolled down her cheek at the thought that he would throw it all away for some cheap, brief, tawdry fling. She dropped his bag, then deliberately sat in an armchair, avoiding the couch so that he couldn’t sit next to her. She crossed her arms over her chest, a gesture that effectively put a wall between them, looked at him, and said, “well?”

“God, Leigh, where to begin?” Tom started. He was agitated, pacing, running one hand through his hair. He licked his lips, and started again. “Leigh, I….” He stopped and shook his head. “I don’t know how to say it…”

“Just say it, Tom,” she said stonily. “Having a relationship with me cramps your style. You either want me to look the other way while you continue to fuck your fan girls in your spare time, or you want to break up with me so you won’t feel so guilty about it. So, which is it?” She stared up at him, her face a frozen mask.

Tom looked horrified. “Dear god, NO, Leigh,” he gasped. “NO!” He collapsed in on himself, sinking to the floor, drawing his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, and burying his face in his arms. He raised his head and looked at her, his eyes red-rimmed and swimming with tears. “Leigh… Leigh, the truth is.., Leigh, I’m a drunk…”

Of all the things he could have said, that was one of the last ones that Leigh had ever been expecting. And yet she guessed, if she was honest, she wasn’t surprised; she’d seen the signs. And her heart ached for him, and she was proud of him. And she smiled, and rose from her chair. She took his hand and tugged him to his feet, led him to the couch, and pulled him down beside her. She cupped his cheek in her hand and said, “tell me.”

And Tom looked at her, and gave a hopeful little smile. “I went to the wrap party,” he began. “Like I always do. And it was fun, like it always is. And l am always the life of the party! And I was drinking, like I always do. I mean, I had spent four weeks bonding with these people, and the wrap party is always a chance to unwind and have fun. I don’t know how many drinks I had…” he stopped, licking his lips and rubbing his neck nervously, then continued. ”A lot, I know. I know I was pretty drunk, but l always get that way. I went out to dance, and there was this girl…”

“Tiffany, “Leigh said flatly.

Tom flinched. “Uh, yes I guess…” he said, looking down at his hands. “Anyway, we were dancing, and she asked me to buy her a drink, and I did, and I had another one, too, and she kissed me, and I took her back to my room… And a voice kept telling me to stop, but I didn’t listen, because the alcohol was in my head, and that’s all I could hear… and Leigh, believe me, but ultimately, nothing happened, because you called, and interrupted…“ he stopped, and he was sobbing again, but he swallowed hard, and forced himself to continue. “God, that sounds terrible! Leigh, I swear, the alcohol made me forget what was important to me. Leigh, it made me forget you.” He slipped to the floor, burying his face in her lap and wrapping his arms around her waist. She caressed his face and hair.

“Leigh, I don’t ever want to forget you again. I love you so much. I want to marry you, I want a family with you! I have to stop drinking. But I’m afraid. Leigh, I guess I’m an alcoholic. What do I do now? Will you help me?”

“Yes, of course I will.” She cupped his face in her hands and lifted his head til he was looking at her. “Tom, I love you,” she said.

Tom climbed back on to the couch and hugged her to him like he’d never let her go. He pulled back enough to look into her eyes, cupping her face in one hand. “Leigh, I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I hope you’ll give it to me anyway…”

Leigh nodded, and he sighed in relief, closing his eyes. “Leigh, can I kiss you?” he whispered.

Leigh nodded, and gently pressed her mouth to his. She could taste his tears, salty on her tongue. She parted his lips gently and explored his mouth, and he whimpered. “Leigh, Leigh,” he murmured brokenly.

“Make love to me, Tom,” Leigh said softly. ”I want it to be gentle and sweet. I want you to love me, with your heart, mind, and body. Show me, Tom.”

Tom picked her up and carried her to his room. He undressed her gently, caressing every part of her body as he uncovered it. He stood still while she did the same to him, and when they were both naked, he pulled her to him and just held her. She took his hand and led him to the bed, lying down, then pulling him down beside her. He smoothed the hair back from her face and kissed her gently, and she let out a little sound of encouragement and he deepened the kiss. They caressed each other’s chest and back, both rubbing flat palms over nipples, then Tom bent his head to suckle at Leigh’s, and she moaned. Both of them continued to rub down over chest to belly, until Leigh finally reached Tom’s cock, and she took him in her hand, stroking his hardness slowly. Tom found her opening with his fingertips, gently pumping in and out of her wetness, brushing his thumb over her clit, and she looked at him and whispered, “take me.”

Tom pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her lips, and whispered, “are you sure?” And she nodded, and parted her legs for him. He rolled between them, and she look his cock in her hand and guided him to her opening. He sank into her slowly, his eyes closed in gratitude and pleasure, and she stroked his face and said, “I love you, Tom.”

He opened his eyes and looked deeply into hers, as he began slowly thrusting in and out. “Say it again,” he begged.

“I love you, Tom,” she said a little louder, her pleasure building, spiraling up and out of control. “Oh Tom, I’m going to cum,” she cried, and he felt her inner walls clench and spasm around him. A few more thrusts and he stiffened and spilled himself in her. “God, I love you, Leigh. So, so much. I’ll never do that to you again.”

And Leigh believed him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been quite a journey, and I wish Tom & Leigh years of happiness together, haha!
> 
> As always, if you are actually reading this, I love you dearly, so let me know! Thank you so much! And, of course, as always, enjoy!
> 
> This chapter is especially for allonsyelize, with mention of nicbeast, patti1022, momfroglorita, so-easy-to-love-me, alisondeluca, only2b

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: alcoholism
> 
> Special note: if you want to read the story of how Tom met Tracy, you can read the one shot The Contest/The Vacation, which is part 2 of this "series."

Songs Of The Heart

Chapter 9

Leigh helped herself to coffee, handing a cup to Tom and then blowing into hers before taking a sip. “Don’t be nervous, Tom,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “This place is the safest place in London.”  
Tom looked around the church basement where the AA meeting, his first ever, was being held. “This is just so new for me,” he said almost timidly. ”It’s such hard thing for me to admit. And what if someone recognizes me?”

“I know, I know. But, first of all, we are all equal here,” Leigh said reassuringly. “Even if someone recognizes you, they won’t act on it in any way. We only use first names here. You don’t even have to say anything if you don’t want to. Here you will meet people who have been sober for 20 years, 2 weeks, 2 days, or who are not sober yet. You can share as much or as little as you want, and, if you want, a sponsor will be issued for you. Your sponsor is your lifeline, like Andre is for me…”

Just then, Leigh was enveloped by a tiny bundle of red hair and freckles. Bright green eyes snapped up at her. “Leigh, you’re here! I’ve missed you! Oh, who’s this?” she said speculatively, noticing Tom, and she turned to look at him.

“Adelaide, I’ve missed you, too!” Leigh said wryly. “I’ve been on tour, you know! This is Tom. It’s his first time, so be gentle!” She turned to Tom. “Tom, this is my friend Adelaide,“ she said, rolling her eyes.

Tom took Adelaide’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you,” he said quietly. Adelaide turned Leigh. “He’s gorgeous!” she mouthed silently. “Is he yours?” Leigh gave a tiny little nod, and Adelaide turned back to Tom, practically wringing his hand. “Very, very nice to meet you, Tom,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I hope we’ll see you here again.”

The meeting was called to order, and Tom sat, uncomfortable, taking it all in as person after person went up to the podium, stated their first name, acknowledged their addiction, and then shared random thoughts. Some said little, some said a lot, some spoke of the past, or present, or future. No one said anything that could be considered judgmental. As each person finished, the rest called out encouragement, and there was often applause. Tom began to relax. The overall vibe of the place was so positive, that he began to feel hopeful. With the help of these people, people who genuinely knew what he was going through, he began to think he might be able to do this.

Leigh squeezed his hand, looking into his eyes encouragingly, then made her way to the podium. “Hi, I’m Leigh, and I’m an alcoholic,” she began.

“Hi, Leigh,” the crowd responded.

“I’ve been sober for over five years, and last week I almost gave it all up,“ her eyes just happened to light on Tom, and when she noticed his face turning red, she shook her head at him and gave him a sweet little smile. “With the help of my sponsor, I was able to get through it. I’m so grateful to have the support of all of you, and especially my sponsor. Some days are easy, some days are hard, but every day is doable, because I know if I ever feel I don’t have enough strength on my own, if I ever need extra help, I can find it here.”

“We’re here for you, Leigh,” someone called out, and there were choruses of “sure are,” “you got it, Leigh,” and “go, Leigh.” Leigh’s cheeks turned pink, and she bobbed her head and returned to her seat as everyone clapped.

When she arrived back at their table, Tom looked solemnly up at her. He rose to his feet, squaring his shoulders. “I’m going to do it,” he said determinedly. “I’m going to go up there!”

“Tom, you don’t have to,“ Leigh started to say.

“Yes, I do!” Tom said firmly and he made his way to the podium. “I do need to do this, Leigh!”

“Uh, hi, I’m Tom, and I’m an – uh-,“ he gathered himself together, swallowed hard, and went on. “I’m an alcoholic…”

“Hi, Tom,” greeted him.

“It’s my first time here, so bear with me. I’ve been sober for three days. This is really hard for me. I’m used to being in control, and things have been fairly easy for me in my life. But recently something happened that showed me that the alcohol has really been in control, not me, and I almost lost the thing that matters most to me in all the world…“

Leigh was so proud of Tom. He had stepped foot on his own road to healing, and he had done it by himself, for himself. Leigh knew that she had never loved him more than she did at that exact moment.

After the meeting, Leigh took Tom by the hand and led him to a tall, broad-shouldered, burly man, with shaggy brown hair, a neat beard, and bright brown eyes. She hugged him, then stepped back and looked up at him. “Andre, this is Tom. Tom, this is my sponsor, Andre. He saved me… “

The two men shook hands, and Andre looked at Tom, his mouth quirked in amusement. “Hello, Tom. That took courage, what you did today.”

“Andre,” Tom said. “I’d like to hug you, for what you did for Leigh. What I did was so stupid, but I know now that it was really the alcohol, not me. Thank you for convincing Leigh to hear me out, and for being there for her when she needed you.”

Andre pulled Tom into a huge bear hug. “You’ve done the hardest part, Tom,” Andre said, “by admitting it to yourself, that you have a problem. I know Leigh’s proud of you, and I am too. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“I think I will be,” Tom said quietly. “I think I will be.”

Tom found that, at first, nights were hard. He was glad he had Leigh, and he also leaned heavily on Adelaide, who was assigned to be his sponsor. He attended meetings every day for a while, sometimes two or three a day, but as time went on, he grew stronger, and, like Leigh, was able to get what he needed from one meeting a week. He was celebrating six months of sobriety, and he knew that Leigh was his future. He’d known for quite a while, but he finally felt strong enough to do something about it. Tonight, he was going to ask her to marry him. He prepared the meal himself: pasta, beef tomato sauce, garlic bread, salad, with ice cream for dessert. He set the table, with table cloth, candles, flowers. He’d bought the ring, a 2 carat sapphire surrounded by diamonds. He had diet Mountain Dew on ice, a fact that made him chuckle to himself as he put crystal goblets on the table. Everything was ready.

Leigh knocked to let him know she was there, then let herself in with the key he’d given her. “I want you to be able to get in here anytime you want, l have no secrets from you. Not anymore,” he’d said.

“Tom?” she called.

“In the kitchen, love,” was Tom’s response.

She went through and put her arms around him from behind, hugging herself to his back and kissing his neck. “I love you!” she said happily. He put down the spoon he was holding and turned around, taking her into his arms and kissing her soundly. ”I love you, Leigh!”

She pulled away and looked at him. “What are you wearing?” It was an apron that had a screen print of Loki, complete with helmet, with the caption ‘I cook what I want!’

“What?” he said, looking down at it. “It was a gift from my sister!”

Leigh had met Tom’s sister Emma, as well as his mother and father. She thought they had liked her; she had liked them. She had the feeling that she was going to be in Tom’s life permanently, so she certainly hoped they’d like her! Tom had yet to meet her family, as a trip to Portland, Oregon USA hadn’t been possible yet, but Leigh was pretty sure that things were rapidly getting to the point that she and Tom should seriously talk about planning that trip.

Tom brought the food and set it on the table. “Everything looks and smells delicious, Tom,” Leigh said enthusiastically.

Tom looked at Leigh, his heart in his eyes. He patted his right pants pocket, making sure the ring was still there. He pulled Leigh into his arms and brushed her hair back from her forehead.

“Leigh, my heart,” he started, “I was going to wait until after dinner to do this, but I don’t want to wait, and I don’t see why I should.” He pulled the ring out of his pocket and held it concealed in his fist. He dropped to one knee. Taking her left hand in his, he looked up into her face.

Leigh suddenly found it hard to breathe. She felt her stomach drop, and she brought her freehand to her face, pressing it to her mouth.

“Leigh, I love you more than life itself,” Tom said. “We’ve already been through so much together, and I know I want you by my side for the rest of my life. Would you please make me the happiest man in the world, and be my wife?” He took the ring and held it poised at the end of her ring finger, looking at her hopefully. She pushed her finger through the ring, tears starting from her eyes. “Oh god, yes Tom! Yes!” She pulled him up and into her arms, kissing him passionately. Dinner had to be heated up in the microwave…

“So,” Leigh said as they ate their ice cream, once again looking down at the ring on her finger. “We need to make a trip back home, to Portland. You need to meet dad, gran, Pete, Maureen, and the spouses and kids…”

“We do!” Tom agreed happily. “And I actually have people in Portland that you need to meet, believe it or not.”

“Oh?” Leigh asked, surprise. “Do you have family in the States?”

“My American family!” Tom said. “It’s kind of a long, funny story.”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere tonight,” Leigh said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

“Let’s go and get cozy in the living room, and I’ll tell you about it,” Tom said, standing, taking her hand, and leading her to the couch.

“OK, tell me!” she said, when they were settled, cuddling in each other’s arms.

“Well, about a year and a half ago,” Tom began, ”my publicist decided to run a contest: win a two-week visit by me! I was really needing a vacation — this was after Coriolanus – so, I convinced them to let me go through all the entries personally. The idea of spending two weeks with some squealing fan girl…” he broke off’ shivering. “Well, I just couldn’t do it, I couldn’t let it be a random drawing. I chose a lovely, middle-aged woman named Tracy. Well, I was with them for two weeks. Tracy’s whole family — her husband Noah, kids and grandkids – I fell in love with them. There was no way I would ever not see them again. We’ve stayed in touch. Since they live in Portland, you and I definitely need to go see them when we’re there!”

Their trip to Portland was brief, but wonderful. Leigh’s family loved Tom, and since he had spent two weeks in Portland, he knew how to pronounce all the place names, which impressed them, and he was familiar with all the tourist destinations. Tom loved children, and Leigh’s nieces and nephews were really excited at the thought of their aunt marrying Loki. Leigh’s sister Maureen let Leigh know how attractive she thought Tom was, and what a lucky girl she thought Leigh was.

When Leigh met Tom’s friend Tracy, she felt an instant bond with her. Having lost her mom at a young age, she was drawn to the mother-figure that was Tracy, and that feeling was reciprocated by Tracy. They formed a friendship that would last their whole lives long.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss!” the reverend said, and Tom cupped Leigh’s face and brought her mouth to his in a tender kiss. “May I present Mr. and Mrs. Hiddleston,” the reverend finished, and as Tom tucked Leigh’s hand is the crook of his elbow, they looked at each other, and each knew that, through all the ups and downs they would face, they would get through it all, together.

Epilogue

6 years later

“Leigh, my heart, just one more push!“ Tom said, kissing her brow. He was standing on one side of her, holding 20-minute-old Adelaide, while Tracy was on Leigh’s other side, holding her hand, which Leigh was squeezing in a death grip. Leigh gritted her teeth, and gave a tremendous push.

“It’s a boy!” the doctor announced happily, handing the newly blanket-wrapped bundle to Tracy. “Andre, right?” Tracy said, showing the new little one to Leigh.

“I want them!” Leigh said, and Tom and Tracy placed them one in each arm.

“I’ll go get Noah and Emma, and we’ll bring Tracy H and little Noah,” Tracy said, referring to Tom and Leigh’s two older children, 5 year old Tracy, and her 3 year old brother, Noah.

Tom kissed Leigh lingeringly, and as his two older children came bounding in, he took turns holding them up so they could see their newborn twin sister and brother. Leigh began to hum a little song and the older two sang along. “This is the happiest day of my life!” Tom declared, kissing Leigh again, looking at all four his children tenderly.

“Mine too!” Leigh declared tiredly. “So far, Tom! So far!”


End file.
